Matthew 16

Matthew 16:1-5:
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

In Matthew 16:1-5, the religious leaders in Christ’s day were trying to make a decision about who Jesus was. So far they had rejected the available information they already had about Jesus, including: 1. The witness of John the Baptist 2. Jesus’ own words 3. Scriptural testimony 4. Jesus’ miraculous works The Pharisees and Sadducees (religious leaders) came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. Jesus replied: “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and
overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.’ Jesus then left them and went away.” Matthew 16:1-4
Although the Pharisees and Sadducees presented themselves as open-minded seekers who wanted to know the truth, the fact was that they would only hear the truth on their terms. Jesus’ response to them indicates that he didn’t view them as real seekers desiring revelation from God, but, rather, men who had rejected the truth time and time again. We too can deduce that those who reject God’s available revelation while still presenting themselves as “open-minded truth seekers” will be rebuked just like the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus says, “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign.” Why does he say this? Because only a morally corrupt generation would reject all the revelation God had already provided. Jesus made it clear that no miraculous sign would be given. In other words, God will not ever split the sky, step out of the heavens, and appear in all his glory just long enough for a New York Times photographer to snap his picture and a CNN cameraman to catch it on film. Although that would be very impressive proof of the reality of God’s existence, our creator knows that even an incredible supernatural appearance would do mankind little good. Why? Because as soon as God vanished back into heaven, everyone who’d rejected all his previous revelations would begin to explain away the latest miracle. If men have already found a way to disprove God’s revelation in nature, logic, scripture, and history, they won’t hesitate to again use their science and philosophy to explain away even the most obvious revelation of God’s existence. Consider the Exodus generation. They were a generation of people enslaved in Egypt when Moses first spoke to Pharoah concerning their freedom. He then called upon signs from God and struck Egypt with ten terrible plagues. The Exodus generation experienced all of the ghastly plagues and later walked through the Red Sea after it was parted by the very hand of God. They were led through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud and fire, and they experienced an incredible manifestation of God on Mt. Sinai. And yet, even after witnessing all these miraculous works of God, the Exodus generation still didn’t believe he would lead them into the Promised Land. Because of their disbelief, they spent the rest of their lives wandering in the wilderness. Hebrews 3:16-18 says: “Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert?
--Galyn Wiemers; Hope for America’s Last Generation

Matthew 16:6:
“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

A Clay Jar: Guard Against the Yeast of the Pharisees – Matthew 16:6
Yeast is a single-celled microorganism that feeds on carbohydrates and produces fermentation. It is used in baking to make bread rise and in brewing some types of alcohol.

Matthew 16:18-19:
AND I TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE PETER, AND ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HADES WILL NOT OVERCOME IT.
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven"

The very first time we see the term church used in the New Testament is when Jesus said to Peter, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). The English word church is the translation of a Greek term, “ekklesia” which means, “a called out assembly.” The term can have a couple of meanings in reference to God’s people. For instance, it can be centered on the universal church (or as the Apostles’ Creed refers to it: the holy catholic church), or it can be a reference to a local assembly, such as the church at Ephesus.
By the very definition of the church, assembling is part of what the people of God do on a regular basis. Yet, during this season of social distancing due to a pandemic that has nearly shut down the entire modern world—the church must continue to worship. We are called to worship God, and yet, even in our very best attempts, our worship is incomplete. (SOURCE: Delivered By Grace

Matthew 16:24-26:
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

WE DO NOT SAVE OURSELVES BY OUR CROSS-BEARING. Jesus Christ has made full atonement for every one of His people. Following Christ in obedience, no matter how difficult, is to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. But WE do not pay a meritorious, suffering death on that cross. It is the Cross of Christ by which we are saved.
--Jeff Crippen; Unholy Charade

All systems for spiritualizing their mind generally includes some form of denial. Every religion in all the ages had some sort of denial. The problem I usually see with this “in action” is that those who “have not” and call it “denial” then require those who “have” for their provisions.
Our Lord saw that Peter regarded the cross as the wrong way for the Messiah, and he rebuked Peter, declaring that life is warfare, and all those who follow him must engage in that warfare. Christ’s cross is redemptive; our sufferings at the hands of Christs enemies are because of our willingness to stand with Christ as His people. We must deny the old Adam in ourselves and voluntarily bear the cross, stand with the new Adam as the old humanity wages war against Him.

Matthew 16:25:
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

I see the verse as two parts of an affirmation of reality: 1) Anyone who applies effort to save his life will, in the end, lose it. (religion?) 2) But he who exchanges his life for Jesus, will find it. These are both inevitable realities for all men. These were the words of Jesus to his disciples, just after reprimanding Peter who had just suffered a moment of religiousness. When Jesus told his disciples that he was to suffer and be killed, Peter rose up and said “this will not happen to you!” To which the Lord rebuked him “Get thee behind me Satan.” We have all met well intended religious folks who want to claim that Christianity involves no pain, but all know this is just not so. CS Lewis said “Die before you die. There is no chance after.”